Trump and Putin reportedly debate on proposed territorial surrenders by Ukraine
In a bid to end the ongoing conflict, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are reportedly considering significant territorial concessions in Ukraine.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Putin made this demand during US envoy Steve Bannon's visit to Moscow. The key point of contention is Russia's demand for Ukraine to cede all remaining Ukrainian-controlled territory in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, a proposal that Ukraine and its allies categorically reject.
The Russian demands involve Ukraine surrendering strategically important unoccupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, as well as the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts under Ukrainian control, prior to any ceasefire agreement. This would require Ukraine to withdraw from the approximately 30% of Donetsk it currently controls, about 9,000 square kilometers, a move that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has described as unconstitutional and strategically dangerous.
Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials maintain that territorial concessions are non-negotiable and would be an illegal abdication of sovereignty. The U.S. and European allies have agreed on “red lines” that exclude recognition of occupied territories as Russian and reject demilitarization demands. The potential "land swapping" concept by external actors like Donald Trump implies territorial concessions for Ukraine, but such proposals lack support from Kyiv and face strong public opposition within Ukraine.
Any pressure on Kyiv to concede territory could provoke large-scale public protests, reflecting strong societal resistance to territorial losses. Zelenskyy has criticized the choice of Alaska as the venue for the Trump-Putin summit, expressing concerns about being sidelined in decisions.
Russia has occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2014 and renamed them as people's republics. Ukraine claims to still have soldiers in the Russian Kursk region as part of an offensive from 2024. The southern Ukrainian regions of Saporizhzhia and Kherson remain uncertain in their fate. Through these conquests in the south, Russia has created a land bridge to the already annexed Crimean Peninsula.
As the August 15 summit approaches, Zelensky must hurry to organize political support in his country, as "we are close to a deal." However, the details of any potential agreement, including the Russian counteroffer and the question of security guarantees for Ukraine, remain unclear. The ultimatum to Putin to end the war expired on Friday and was dissolved in the summit preparations.
References:
[1] The New York Times. (2025). Russia Demands Major Territorial Concessions from Ukraine. [2] BBC News. (2025). Zelenskyy Rejects Russian Territorial Demands as Unconstitutional. [3] The Washington Post. (2025). Ukrainian Public Opposes Territorial Concessions, Polls Show. [4] The Guardian. (2025). Russia Demands Full Control Over Eastern Ukraine Regions. [5] The Associated Press. (2025). Western Allies Reject Russian Territorial Demands in Ukraine.
In light of the ongoing war-and-conflicts in Ukraine, politics and general-news outlets are reporting about the potential territorial concessions under consideration by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian demands involve Ukraine surrendering strategically important unoccupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, as well as the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts under Ukrainian control, prior to any ceasefire agreement, a move that has been categorically rejected by Ukraine and its allies.
